Whip up a creamy no bake pumpkin delight with a graham cracker crust, fluffy cream cheese and pumpkin filling, and Cool Whip on top. This is an easy make-ahead fall dessert that needs to be on your Thanksgiving table! It uses simple ingredients, and you can make it in 30 minutes or less.
It all started with my mom’s famous cherry crunch that my dad asked for every holiday. I’ve since made the same dessert with strawberries, blueberries, and more recently this delicious peach delight. This pumpkin delight is yet another fun, Thanksgiving-themed twist on my mom’s classic recipe, using a creamy no bake pumpkin filling layer instead of fresh fruit.
If you’ve been here before, you may have noticed that I’ve made some changes to this pumpkin dessert recipe. For one, I make it with a no bake graham cracker crust instead of the old pecan nut pie crust that I used to use; I’ve also switched to using Cool Whip instead of Dream Whip, because it holds up so much better to extra moisture coming from the pumpkin puree. Trust me, this new and improved version tastes so much better!
Ingredients & Substitutions Notes
- Graham Cracker Crust – You can use any crust you want, but I’ll show you how to make the crust that I always use for this recipe, which is my favorite graham cracker crust with graham cracker crumbs, light brown sugar, ground ginger and melted salted butter. If you’d rather just a buy a pre-made graham cracker crust from the store, that’s fine too!
- Cream Cheese – You’ll need a pack of full-fat cream cheese for the cream cheese filling in this pumpkin dessert.
- Cool Whip – I also like to add Cool Whip to the cream cheese layer for a little extra “fluff”. You’ll also need some for the topping.
- Vanilla Instant Pudding Mix – Vanilla instant pudding mix is the secret ingredient to the no bake pumpkin filling layer. I always add it because it holds up so well to the whipped topping.
- Canned Pumpkin – For the sake of ease, I just use canned pumpkin. If you prefer to roast your own pumpkin, here’s how to make homemade pumpkin puree.
- Pumpkin Pie Spice – I use cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves to make my own homemade pumpkin pie spice. You can also buy pumpkin pie spice from your local grocery store.
- Chopped Pecans – I like to top off my pumpkin delight dessert with chopped pecans, but you can leave them out altogether if you have any allergies.
How to Make Pumpkin Delight Recipe
Before getting started, you’ll need to crumble up enough graham crackers to get about 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs. Another way you can do this is by placing the graham crackers in a gallon zip-loc bag, and then crushing them up with a rolling pin.
How to Make the Graham Cracker Crust
- In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and ginger.
- Add in the melted butter and mix well.
- Grease a 9×9 square pan, and press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Set the crust aside.
How to Make the Cream Cheese and Pumpkin Filling Layers
- In a another large bowl, beat the cream cheese by itself ’til smooth. I like to use an electric hand mixer for this step.
- Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and Cool Whip, whisking ’til the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Spread the mixture on top of the graham cracker crust with a rubber spatula.
- In a separate large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk, whisking for about 2 minutes. Then let set for 3-4 minutes.
- Once the pudding has set, add the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice to the pudding and mix well.
- Spread the pumpkin layer on top of the cream cheese layer.
Topping and Serving Your Pumpkin Delight
- Spread the rest of the Cool Whip evenly over the top of the pumpkin layer, and then sprinkle the chopped pecans on top of the Cool Whip.
- Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible. Personally, I think that the colder it is, the better it tastes.
- That’s it! Slice and serve.
Once your pumpkin delight is ready to serve, keep in mind that your slices may be a little bit goopy at first. If you’d like smoother slices, you can place it in the freezer for a very short time, maybe 30-45 minutes, before cutting into it.
Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ’s
For some reason, this recipe has never turned out for me when I used whipped cream. I have used Dream Whip before successfully, although it tends to be runnier and not as creamy. Personally, I would just stick to the Cool Whip.
This can be caused by not letting it chill long enough in the refrigerator, or if it’s coming from the pumpkin layer, it might be excess water from the pumpkin, especially with homemade pumpkin puree. If this is the problem, you can strain the excess moisture out of the pumpkin puree with a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined mesh sieve or strainer before making the pumpkin filling. Alternatively, you can also try making reduced pumpkin puree for this recipe.
Yes, this is a great recipe to make ahead, because it’s actually best eaten the next day. If you’re making this recipe in a casserole pan, simply cover it with plastic wrap or transfer it to an airtight container. Stored this way, it should last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Yes, you can freeze pumpkin delight. First, cover it with a layer of plastic wrap, and then add another layer of aluminum foil over the plastic wrap before freezing. This pumpkin dessert will last in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Optional Add-Ins & Recipe Variations
- You don’t have to use graham crackers to make a crust. You can make a chocolate cookie crust, a gingersnap crust or even a pecan nut pie crust.
- Swap out the chopped pecans for chopped walnuts. You can also sprinkle on some white chocolate chips!
- Don’t care for pumpkin? Change the pudding flavor and make yourself a chocolate delight instead!
More Scrumptious Pumpkin Desserts
- Pumpkin Pie from Scratch
- Cozy Pumpkin Pie Cake
- Pumpkin spice sugar cookies
- Pumpkin Roll
- Instant Pot Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
- Deliciously Moist Pumpkin Bread Recipe
And if you’re looking for even more holiday recipes, you’ll find a whole slew of them on my list of Best Thanksgiving Recipes for Your Holiday Menu.
If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!
Pumpkin Delight
Equipment
- Rolling Pin optional
- Gallon Zip-Loc Bag optional
- Electric Hand Mixer optional
Ingredients
Graham Cracker Crust
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 8 tablespoons salted butter melted
Cream Cheese Filling
- 8 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip
Pumpkin Filling
- 5.1 ounces vanilla instant pudding mix
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 15 ounces canned pumpkin
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Topping
- 1 1/2 cups Cool Whip
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Before getting started, make your graham cracker crumbs by placing graham crackers into a zip-loc bag, and crushing them up with a rollin pin 'til you get about 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs.
Graham Cracker Crust
- In a large bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and ginger.
- Add in the melted butter and mix well.
- Grease a 9×9 square pan, and press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Set the crust aside.
Cream Cheese Filling
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese by itself 'til smooth. An electric hand mixer makes this step easier.
- Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and Cool Whip, whisking 'til the mixture is smooth and creamy.
- Spread the mixture on top of the graham cracker crust with a rubber spatula.
Pumpkin Filling
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pudding mix and milk, whisking for about 2 minutes. Then let set for 3-4 minutes.
- Once the pudding has set, add the pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice to the pudding and mix well.
- Spread the pumpkin layer on top of the cream cheese layer.
Topping
- Spread the rest of the Cool Whip evenly over the top of the pumpkin layer.
- Sprinkle the chopped pecans on top of the Cool Whip.
- Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or overnight if possible.
- Slice and serve. (It will be slightly goopy, but if you'd like smoother slices, you can place in the freezer for a very short time, maybe 30-45 minutes.)
Hi is there a homemade pecan pie crust recipe?
Peggy, search for “Pecan Nut Pie Crust Recipe” on the blog. I hope this helps!
Can you use cool whip instead of dream whip?
Nonna, I’ve never used it, but I have readers who have, and they say it works just fine.